Arisaema plants, also known as Tian Nan Xing in Chinese (literally Star of Southern Sky), are poisonous herbs. Its toxicity is mainly found in its bulbs, which happen to be its main medicinal part used in Traditional Chinese medicine. Medicinally it can be used for many diseases since it is good at dispelling the wind, calming the frightened, dissipating phlegm, and resolving masses. Medicinal Arisaema bulbs are gathered mainly from the wild although they can be cultivated as well. For that reason, in recent years it is in short supply because of the conflict between dwindling wildlife resources and the increased demand.

Medicinally it mainly refers to the dried tubers of Arisaema erubcscens (Wall.) Schott, A. heterophyllum Bl., or A. amurense Maxim. All the mentioned 3 Arisaema species are from the family Araceae. Other common names of this herb include Rhizoma Arisaematis, Arisaema rhizome, Arisaema Tuber, and more. In China A. erubcscens is mainly produced in Henan, Hebei, and Sichuan; A. heterophyllum is mainly produced in Jiangsu and Zhejiang; A. amurense is mainly produced in Liaoning and Jilin. They are usually harvested in autumn and winter. The raw herb needs to remove fibrous roots and rind and dry in the sun; the Rhizoma Arisaematis Preparatum (Zhi Nan Xing) still needs to be prepared with ginger juice and alum.

Arisaema

Arisaema actually refers to a genus that contains about 150 flowering varieties. They are originally found in eastern North America, Asia, and central and eastern Africa. Among all those species, the most well-known ones are Arisaema triphyllum (Small Jack-in-the-pulpit), Arisaema sikokianum Fr. et Sav. (Gaudy jack), Arisaema stewardsonii (Northern Jack-in-the-pulpit), Arisaema atrorubens (Indian turnip, Jack-in-the-pulpit), Arisaema dracontium (Green dragon), Arisaema ringens (Japanese cobra lily), and the like. Based on the unique look of their flowers, it is better known as cobra lilies in the east and jack-in-the-pulpit in the west.

ARISAEMA BENEFITS 
Arisaema bulb contains 28.05% starch so that it can be used to make alcohol and paste material. However, it is not edible since it is poisonous. As a time-honored Chinese herb, it is frequently used to treat Bell’s palsy, hemiplegia, convulsions in children, tetanus, epilepsy, carbuncle, snake bites, and the like. Dan Nan Xing, also called Arisaema Cum Bile, refers to the one processed with bile, which is mainly used to treat the Retention of Heat-Phlegm in the Lung of children, tic of limbs, and infantile convulsion. It is reported that in recent years the vaginal or cervical canals suppositories made of fresh Arisaema herb proves effective in treating Cervical Cancer.

Clinically Pinellia (Ban Xia) and Arisaema are often mixed up with each other since they two look and act very similar. Both of them are acrid, warm, and toxic in nature. Medicinally considered as the essential herb of drying dampness and resolving phlegm, they are good at healing dampness-phlegm syndrome and cold-phlegm syndrome. More importantly, after prepared they govern heat-phlegm syndrome and wind-phlegm syndrome. Hopefully the above-mentioned fact won't lead you to jump to the conclusion that they have the totally same medicinal uses. This is wrong since pinellia governs spleen and lung and focuses on viscera dampness-phlegm and vomiting while Arisaema acts on meridians and is partial to expel wind-phlegm, relieve muscle spasms, and warm cold limbs.